Feed mechanism for automatic grinding machines



March 11, 1924, 1,486,580

J. N. HEALD FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC GRINDING MACHINES Filed April 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 11, 19241.

J. N. HEALD FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC GRINDING MACHINES Filed April 7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 whiny-III"- Machines,

Patented are. 11, 1924.

x. i D, Q CHINE 00 "w CHUSETTQ.

FEED MECHAM FOR AUTOMATIC 2:

. IGNQE T0 THE HEARD m- A CORIPQRATIUN 0E WSA- I ENG mih m.

Application filed April 7, 1828. fierial Ito. 550,420.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns N.HEALD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at in the county of Worcester and" Worcester, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, vhave invented a new and useful Improvementin Feed Mechanism for Automatic Grinding of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to automatic netic chuck or other olding means.

The invention contemplates improvements in mechanism of this class, by way of adapting it readily to various diameters and thicknesses of work, in connection with which. more particularly, the invention resides in a novel form of work magazine, and also a novel form of work carrier, both of these parts accommodating themselves to variationsover a wide range in the character of the work. Other and further features and advantages of the mechanism forming the subject of the present invention will be apparent as the description thereof proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved chine.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the work carrier.

Fig. 4 is a p an view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the removable interchangeable retainer rings, used with said work carrier.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views, taken respectively on the lines 5 5 and 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, taken on lin 'of Fi 4.

Like re erence characters refer to like parts in the difierent figures.

Referrin first to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 1 in icates the stationary work supporting table of an automatic grinding machine, the latter being preferably of the general type disclosed in United States Letters Patent to Littman, No. 1,861,883, dated December 14, 1920. The construction and operation of such a machine, aside from the work feeding mechanism herein described and claimed, forms no part of the present invention, and hence is neither shown nor described in this ap lication. For the purpose hereof, it is su cient to note that in conjunction with the table 1, the machine provides a rotating work holding magnetic chuck 2, whose surface is flush with that of the table, and that the successive disposition of individual pieces of work upon said chuck, by movement across said table, procures the action on said pieces of an overbanging grinding wheel 3, indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1.

The table 1 is of generally circular formation, and for the movement of the pieces of work on the surface thereof, the invenform size, are held in the form ofa vertical stack, within a magazine designated generally by ticle of the stack resting by gravity flat against the feeding disk 4, as hereinafter more fully described. lin order to permit movement of the disk 4 without any interference from the magazine 5, the latter has its support in a skeleton member 6, which is spaced above the table 1 and disk 4, being secured to the central post 7 of said table and to other posts 8, 8, projecting upwardly from the edge of said table beyond the periphery of dlsk 4. a I Rising vertically from the stationary member 6 are the fixed posts 9, 9, arranged in a circular series and equally spaced. Each of these posts serves as the support for an the numeral 5, the lowermost 8.1;

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this way, as regar s the diameter of the ar ticles to be held in stack formation, the plates 10, cooperate to form an adjustable confining means, with their inner flat faces lyin substantially tangent to the peripheries of t e articles for the entire height of the stack. Furthermore, as re ards the thickness of such articles, the p ates 10, projecting downwardly through the skeleton member 6, afford, by their susceptibility to vertical adjustment on the posts 9, the neces sary latitude in connection with the successive withdrawals from the ma azine, by the action of carrier disk 4, as wil now be described.

The carrier disk 4, secured to hub member 13, which is journalled on the central post 7, is subject to intermittent movement in a counterclockwise direction, according to the means disclosed in the copendinw application of Heald and Guild, Seriaf No. 476,496, filed June 10, 1921. To this end, an arm 14, adapted to swing on the post 7 has its outer end connected to a rod 15, which, by its connection to a crank, not shown, procures the oscillation or vibration of arm 14 through a limited arc. Said arm 14 carries a pivoted pawl 16, adapted to engage with suitable notches 17 in the periphery of hub 13. It will be clearly understood that each counter-clockwise movement of arm 14, corresponding to one-half a revolution of its driving crank, not shown, procures one step in the advancement of the carrier disk 4; but that on each reverse movement of the arm 14, the pawl 16 is inoperative, the carrier disk 4 being held stationary, as described in the Heald and Guild application, by a spring pressed member 18, whose wedge shaped point enters successive depressions 19 on the periphery of hub 13.

The carrier disk 4, as shown in Fig. 3, provides a circular series of apertures 20, 20, here shown as five in number, corresponding to the five steps or intermittent movements of said carrier disk in making one complete revolution. These apertures 20 are adapted to receive retaining rings of the general form shown at 21 in Figs. 4 and 7, such retaining rings being provided in a plurality of sets, all of the same outside diameter, to fit the apertures 20, but of different inside diameters, to accommodate them to various sizes of work. In other words, the holes 22, in which the pieces of work are received, will be of one diameter in one set of rings 21 and of another diameter in another set of rings 21, so that for a given size of work to be ground, the proper set of retaining rings 21 can be selected and inserted in the apertures 20 of the carrier disk 4.

For the retention of the rings 21 in disk 4, the construction of the apertures 20 is, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, to provide a seat 23 for the support of each ring, with its upper surface flush with the upper surface of the disk 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the aperture 20, above the seat 23, provides an annular undercut shoulder 24, and in the process of manufacture, portions of the material of this shoulder are cut away, as shown at 25, Fig. 5, to accommodate correspondingly spaced bevelled enlargements 26 on the circumference of each ring 21. This construction permits insertion of a ring 21 by registration of the parts 25 and 26; thereupon, the ring is turned through a suitable angle so as to dispose its bevelled projections 26 below the undercut shoulder portions 24, thus locking the ring a ainst displacement, but permitting its reac y removal when desired, slmply by giving it the requisite partial rotation in the aperture 20. When all of the rings 21 are in place, as shown in Fig. 1, they may be secured against accidental turning movement by the engagement therewith of an annular plate 27 which encircles the hub portion 13 of the carrier disk 4.

In the operation of the mechanism, assuming the provision of the proper sized rings for the work that is stacked up in the magazine 5, it will be seen that each intermittent movement of the carrier disk brings one of its apertures 20 directly below and into concentric relation to the stack of piston rings, washers, or the like, to be ground. During each such movement, the stack rests by gravity on the disk 4, the lowermost piece of said stack being in contactwith the surface of said disk, but prevented from moving therewith by its confinement by the lower ends of plates 10, 10. As soon as one of the holes 22, of predetermined roper size, comes to rest, in registry wit said lowermost article, the latter drops into said hole, and rests against the surface of table 1. Thereupon, on the next movement of the carrier disk 4, said article is carried along with said disk, but the article next above, confined by the plates 10, is held atthe bottom of the stack, and lies in contact with the surface of the moving disk 4. It

will be understood that the proper vertical adjustment of the plates 10 insures the re lease of an article upon its descent through a hole 22 into contact with the table 1, but

insures the retention of an article so long as it rests on the surface of the disk 4.

The article thus removed from the bottom of the stack is conveyed by the disk into position for grinding, as indicated at A, Fig. 1. Inthis position, the article rests on the surface of the rotating magnetic chuck 2, and in'consequence of 1ts rotation, all parts of its surface are subject to the action of the grinding wheel 3, as will be well understood by those conversant with machines of this character. grinding operation, the withdrawal of the wheel 3 effects automatically another movement of the carrier disk 4, which conveys the article across the face of table 1 to the position indicated at B, Fig. 1, at the same time bringing another article into grinding position, as will be well understood. The next ensuing movement of the carrier'disk 4 advances each of the several articles one step, bringing the first article into registry with an aperture 28 in the table 1 of larger diameter than said article, whereby the latter drops through by gravity onto an inclined grating 29 and is discharged from the machine, as indicated at C, Fig.- 1. In this way, the ring 21, which had previously served for the movement of saidarticle, becomes available for the removal of another article from the bottom of the stack, this being accomplished u on its travel from the position I) to the first described position of registration with said stack. I

It is to be noted that when an article is in grinding position A, its retainin ring 21 1s prevented from bein frictiona y r0- tated, by the above descri d plate 27, the latter having suitable pins 30 which enter into correspondin holes 31 in the edge of each rin Also, 1n this grinding position, the artic e is prevented from being accidentally displaced by an overlying slneld 32 which is carried upon a post 33 projecting downwardly from the member 6.

I claim,

1. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding'machines, a magazine comprising a circular series of rigid supports, and an elongated stack confining member adjustably carried by each support for tangential contact with the work.

2. In awork feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machines, a magazine comprising a series of rigid supports, and an pon the completion of the elongated stack co memr carried each support and angularly adjustable a ut the axis thereof.

3. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machines, a magazine comprising a circular series of rigld supports, and an elongated stack confining member, for tangential contact with the work, carried by each support and vertically adjustable thereon.

4. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machines, a magazine comprising a series of rigid supports, and an elongated stack confining member carried by each support and ad ustable angularly and vertically with relation thereto.

5. A magazine adapted to confine circular articles in stack formation, comprising a series of members each adapted for angular adjustment, whereb to accommodate articles of difierent diameters, and each presenting inwardly an extended flat surface,

whereby to insure tangential contact with stacks of various sizes.

6. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machlnes, the combination with an apertured carrier, of retaining rings for the work, insertible in the apertures of said carrier, and a common locking means for holding all of said retaining rings against displacement.

7 In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machines, the combination with an apertured carrier, of retaining rings for the work, insertible in the apertures of said carrier, and adapted to be locked therein by a turning movement.

8. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machines, the combination with an apertured carrier, of retaining rings for the work, insertible in the apertures of said carrier, the wall of each aperture providing an undercut portion, and each rin having a projection adapted to en age sai undercut portion, when the ring, a ar insertion in the aperture, is turned.

9. In a work feeding mechanism for automatic grinding machmesg-Jthe combination with an apertured carrier, of retaining rings for the work, insertible in the apertures-of said carrier and adapted to be looked there- Mill in by turning movement, and means, com- 

